英美概况名词解释(英文)

1. the Hardian’s Wall:

It was one of the two great walls built by the Romans to keep the Picts out of the area they had conquered.

2. Alfred the Great

Alfred was a strong king of the Wiseman. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons to advise the king. It’s the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.

3. William the Conqueror

William was Duke of Normandy. He landed his army in Oct, 1066 and defeated king Harold. Then he was crowned king of England on Christmas Day the same year. He established a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England.

4. the battle of Hastings

In 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as king. William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near Hasting. Afte r a day’s battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest.

5. Doomsday Book

Under William, the feudal system was established. William sent officials to compile a property record known as Doomsday Book, which completed in 1086. It was the result of a general survey of England made in 1085. It stated the extent, value, the population, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It seemed to the English like the Book of doom on Judgment Day.

6. the Great Charter

King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he was forced to sign a document, known as Mangna Cara, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties, its spirit was the limitation of the king’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.

7. the Hundred Years’ War

It referred to the intermittent war between France and England that last from 1337 to 1453. The causes were partly territorial and partly economic. When Edward III claimed the French Crown but the French refused to recognize, the war broke out. At first the English were successful, but in the end, they were defeated and lost almost all their possessions in France. The expelling of the English was a blessing for both countries.

8. Joan of Arc

She was a national heroine of France during the Hundred Years’ War. She successfully led the French to drive the English out of France.

9. the Black Death

It was the deadly bubonic plague who spread through Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England without warning and any cure, and sparing no victims. It killed between half and one-third of the population of England. Thus, much land was left untended and labor was short. It caused far-reaching economic consequences.

10. the Wars of Roses

They referred to the battles between the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485. The former was symbolized by the red rose, and the latter by the white one. After the wars, feudalism received its death blow and the king’s power became supreme. Thdor monarchs ruled England and Wales for over two hundred years.

11. Bloody Mary

Henry VIII’s daughter and a devout Catholic. When she became Queen, she persecuted and burnt many Protestants. So she was given the nickname “Bloody Mary”. Mary is also remembered as the monarch who lost the French port of Calais.

12. Elizabeth I

One of the greatest monarchs in British history. She reigned England, Wales and Ireland for 45 years and remained single. Her reign was a time of confident English nationalism and of